Three Palestinian prisoners continue hunger strikes in Israeli jails

Three Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails are continuing hunger strikes in protest of their conditions of confinement and demanding their freedom from unjust imprisonment. Imprisoned Palestinian hunger striker Anas Shadid, 21, is experiencing deterioration of his health on his 10th day of hunger strike, reported his brother to Asra Voice. Shadid previously engaged in a 90-day hunger strike to demand his freedom from administrative detention without charge or trial. Only weeks after Shadid was released to his home village of Dura, near al-Khalil, on 24 May, he was re-arrested once again by Israeli occupation forces on 15 June 2017.

Once again, he was ordered imprisoned without charge or trial under a six-month, indefinitely renewable administrative detention order. He launched his hunger strike when he was ordered to solitary confinement in Hadarim prison and has continued his strike against isolation and his detention without charge. Two days ago, on the eighth day of his strike, he was moved to the clinic in Hadarim prison after his health began to deteriorate.

Asra Voice also noted that Ahmed Sawarka, originally from el-Arish in Egypt, but who lived in the Gaza Strip with his wife for many years prior to being seized by the Israeli occupation in 2009, is continuing his hunger strike for the eighth day. Sawarka’s sentence ended in September 2016, yet he remains imprisoned. He is demanding release to the Gaza Strip, but the Israeli occupation is insisting that he can only be released to the Egyptian Sinai.

Furthermore, fellow administrative detainee Izzadine Amarneh, 55, is also continuing his hunger strike for the sixth day after being ordered to administrative detention without charge or trial. Amarneh, who is blind, is from the town of Yabed south of Jenin and has been imprisomed since 10 September. He was previously imprisoned for six years in Israeli jails.